National Cousins Day 2023: Date, History, Facts, Events

National Cousins Day is celebrated annually on July 24 and is the ideal time to express your affection for your cousins. Whether they were our first best friend or first adversary, cousins made family gatherings enjoyable – or at least tolerable and less uncomfortable – when we were children. Whether they are close or distant cousins, friends or adversaries, those of us who are fortunate enough to still have cousins should celebrate them today.

The background of National Cousins Day

When exactly National Cousins Day was added to the modern calendar is unknown. We do know that relatives have been connecting families for a very long time.

Since the first settlers left the safety of the colonies and headed west to seek fame, affluence, and most importantly, land, American families have gathered for reunions. As one generation transferred the responsibility of maintaining family ties to the next, cousins became the guardians of family ties.

Even in families that no longer hold regular reunions, cousins tend to reach out to one another later in life and reminisce about their shared family history. Keeping in contact with your cousins may not necessitate a specific date on your calendar if they are like your siblings or if you became best friends as children. If you come from a small family or have a dominant wanderlust gene and you don’t know where your cousins went years ago, celebrating cousinship requires a bit more effort. It may be necessary to circle National relations Day on your calendar each year as a reminder to greet your childhood relations.

However, reuniting with a family member you haven’t seen since you were both forced to sit at the kids’ table is always a nostalgic and fascinating experience. You can see where your lives have taken you, the families you’ve created, the professions you’ve pursued, and your ageing faces.

National Cousins Day Events

Binge-watch reruns about cousins.

Today is a good time to reacquaint ourselves with the eccentric cousin relationships we relished as children on television and the big screen. Remember summer reruns? The majority of classic films and sitcoms have been digitised and made available on-demand. Some of our favourite cousin-themed items: Parent Trap, circa 1961, with Hayley Mills in the principal role. My Cousin Vinny, circa 1992, with Joe Pesci, Ralph Macchio, and Marisa Tomei; The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, circa 1990-1996, with Will Smith

Host a National Cousins Day reunion online.

Go digital if your cousins reside on the opposite coast or on the opposite side of the world. Schedule a live reunion using one of the social media platforms’ communication tools or a webinar provider.

Send your DNA for testing.

Today is the day to put that cotton swab in your cheek and discover who your actual blood relatives are (and who they are not). DNA testing will enable you to identify relations you were previously unaware of. It might be intimidating to consider discovering your long-lost relatives, but hello! National Cousins Day is all about building relationships with cousins.

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5 INTERESTING FACTS REGARDING COUSIN RELATIONSHIPS

According to a study by AncestryDNA, the average British citizen has more than 193,000 surviving cousins (6th cousin or closer). We are uncertain as to whether the average American has this many living cousins, but it makes us ponder how many of us have unknowingly dated a cousin.

Talent often flows in families, and celebrities are no exception. Some celebrity relatives we’ve admired over the years for their talent: Whitney Houston and Dionne Warwick are first cousins. Snoop Dogg and Brandy are first cousins. Sissy Spacek and Rip Torn are first cousins. Lauren Bacall and Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres are also first cousins.

In all fifty states, it is lawful to marry your second cousin, but not your first cousin.

Double cousins are apparently a reality! The children of two siblings who marry two sisters are considered double first cousins.

Your second cousin is someone with whom you share a common great-grandparent but not a common grandparent.

NATIONAL COUSINS DAY DATES

Year	Date	Day
2023	July 24	Monday
2024	July 24	Wednesday
2025	July 24	Thursday
2026	July 24	Friday
2027	July 24	Saturday